#95 Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Featuring: Mindful Black Friday Spending!

Author

Dan Healy
26 Nov

Welcome back, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year, we introduced this holiday edition with a bunch of Dad-jokes. Here’s an excerpt:

But we practice what we preach here, and one thing we always preach, including in this very edition, is growth. We’re better than we were last year. We’ve gotten smarter. We’re now smart enough to know better than to subject you to that same sort of hacky writing.

So instead, we just want to wish you the very best this Thanksgiving. Enjoy some delicious food. Cherish time with family and friends. Watch some football. Relax.

Then next week, we’ll get right back to being productive and staying ahead of the carve.

(So close)

Go Ahead…FEAST On This Menu 🍽️ 

FATTENING THE WALLET 💰️ 

  • Making Cents of OVER-spending

ELEVATING YOUR BRAND đŸ“ˆ 

  • Major Moves 🤝 The Search Bar: Deals, Deliciousness, and More

BOOSTING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY 🕺 

  • Grow on this Food For Thought

Making Cents 💰️ 


Why You Shouldn’t OVER-Spend Heading Into The Holidays.


Short and Sweet: â€˜Tis the season for discounts! Pretty much every company has a deal or special running, with the intention of getting you to over-spend in the name of saving money. You’ve got to buy those presents and plan those trips anyway, right?

Yes and no. Buy what’s necessary, but be mindful of your spending no matter how tempting some of those deals might seem.

Why It Matters: Because we’re all about healthy financial decision-making, and if you’re as gluttonous with your purchasing as you’ll be with Thursday’s spread, both your credit card bills and your stress levels could be on the rise heading into the holiday season. Nobody wants that.

The Benefits of Not Overspending During The Holidays:

  • No Debt Hangover: Food comas? Oh yeah! Debt hangovers? No thanks. Avoid dehydrating that bank account, and you’ll feel much better when the dust settles.

  • Less Stress, More Joy: Being on top of your spending gives you peace of mind to fully embrace the holidays with your family.

  • Feel In Control: Knowing you stuck to your plan or budget will help give you momentum heading into the new year. And we LOVE Big Mo.

O.T.F. 
O.F.T - One Final Thought

Remember, companies that are selling to us have marketing departments that leverage human psychology through scarcity and urgency, giving you the itch to spend, spend, spend. So keep the following in mind:

  • Retailers KNOW a 10% discount here and 25% discount there will result in the undisciplined shopper trying to take advantage of EVERY deal, spending more total than they otherwise would have.

  • Companies use emotional ads to tap into holiday nostalgia and excitement. Recognize when ads tug at your heart to spend - stop and think: what are they trying to get me to feel, and why?

  • They create urgency with limited one-time offers designed to spark impulse buying.

  • They offer free shipping promotions and give you spending thresholds that must be crossed to receive the perk.

  • Watch your inbox. Expect an uptick in emails from companies trying to sell you on something.

Moral of the story: Don’t fall for the tricks. Buy only the things you were going to buy anyway, and remember: you can’t be SAVING money (on deals) if you’re SPENDING more.

The Search Bar 🤝 Major Moves

The fourth edition of every month typically comes with BOTH Major Moves and The Search Bar, but since Thanksgiving is all about togetherness, they’re sitting at the same table today. Here’s some timely Thanksgiving info you may want to know:

WALMART: One Last Hurrah Before Prices Go Up?

I know, I know…I JUST finished writing a section telling you to avoid excessive spending this holiday season. And I stand by that. But IF you still have a lot of Christmas shopping to get done and want to knock it out in advance, Walmart is doing what they do best: major Black Friday Deals began yesterday online.

With the CFO expressing concern that Walmart’s pricing may be on the rise come 2025, is this their lowest-price swan song?

CBS:  No Parade This Year

If you were hoping for an episode of The Price is Right to kickstart your Thanksgiving morning, you’re in luck! “For the first time in years, CBS will not be airing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”

Regularly-scheduled programming, then right to football. If you want to watch the parade, NBC has the primary coverage.

exploding topics: Here’s what’s trending this Thanksgiving

Nobody does trends better than Exploding Topics, so if you want a deep look at what’s trending this holiday season, look no further.

TL;DR:

  1. “Holiday Spending Moves to TikTok”

  2. “Buy Now, Pay Later Tempts Holiday Shoppers”

  3. “A Big Black Friday and Cyber Monday” - early estimates suggests US retail sales could hit a record-high $75 billion between Friday and Tuesday!!

  4. “Holiday Shoppers Turn to Dupes”

  5. “Visual Search Points Physical Buyers Toward Online Shopping”

If you want to know more about any of the above topics, hit that link above.

O.T.F. 
O.F.T - One Final Thought

And if you’re disappointed that not a single trending topic or major story gave you insight into how to improve your Thanksgiving menu, fear not!

Joel Gamoran, host and executive producer of “Homemade Live!” on PBS stops by the TODAY kitchen ahead of Thanksgiving to share his elevated spin on the classic mashed potatoes and turkey.

www.today.com/video/how-to-take-mashed-potatoes-and-turkey-to-the-next-level-224979525672

Food For Thought 💭 

Before You Go

We hope you all have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving with your loved ones. Next week, we’ll be back with the first edition of December 2024. Like we’ll all be come Thursday night, it’ll be a FULL edition, stuffed to the brim with all sorts of good things.

See you then! ✌️

You are now On The Fly and In The Know.